Actions Speak Louder Than Words
by manga
Summary: A lesson in Vegeta-ese. Also, Vegeta minus Bulma plus Cell equals lots 'o' destruction.


Disclaimer: Akira-san owns DBZ. I don't. But I am working on a plan to have Vegeta help me wrest the rights away from FUNimation. ;) 

"This is all Vegeta's fault," Krillin said angrily. "If he hadn't let his obsession with his pride get the better of him, he could have killed Cell easily! Sometimes I really wonder about that guy. Trunks, I think your father is crazy." 

Trunks frowned, incidentally emphasizing the reseblance between he and his father. There wasn't anything he could say: on the one hand, he felt he should defend his father. On the other hand, sometimes he questioned Vegeta's sanity too. He shifted uncomfortably, folding his arms. 

"Aw, he's not that bad," Goku chimed in cheerfully. 

Krillin stared at him, shocked. "How can you SAY that?! He's tried to kill you, he HAS killed a number of your friends and because of HIS stupid pride we may all die again!" 

"But Krillin, everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure he knows now that he messed up. And you know he's gonna helps us fight Cell," Goku said. 

"You mean if Bulma leaves enough of him TO fight," Krillin snickered. There was a pause while the Z team exchanged smirks: as badly as Cell had ripped into the proud Saya-jin prince, the prince's mate was likely to verbally rip him apart just as viciously-- a punishment they felt was fully justified. 

"Stop that," Goku admonished them. "Vegeta really got hurt. He just doesn't fight like we do-- he doesn't know how to fight for other people. Blaming him for it won't help us defeat Cell." 

There was an awkard silence while they digested that idea, then Piccolo interupted. 

"Do the rest of you feel that?" he asked, his growling voice tighter with strain. Diverted from their discussion, the Z team ran to the edge of Kami's look out and peered down at the Earth, where they felt a stir of awesome power. 

"It's Cell," Trunks said tightly. 

Goku nodded. "Warming up before the Tournament, it seems. Let's stop him!" 

* * * * *

They flew down quickly, hoping to stop Cell before he caused even more destruction. They followed the beacon of his ki, passing over terrain that became increasingly-- and sickeningly-- familiar. 

When they arrived at Capsule Corps., a smoking ruin greeted them. Buildings were leveled, the ground was a torn and jagged mess. Trunks stared in horror-- his parents and younger self had been there, and frustrated as he was with Vegeta, he still didn't want him dead. He still existed, so that meant nothing had happened to Chibi-Trunks, but if anything had happened to Bulma... The Z team's shock was shattered as Trunks screamed, powering up to SSJ in moments. He felt two weak ki's in the rubble, off toward where the family quarters had been, and flew straight there. 

He found Chibi-Trunks nestled in the remains of his cradle. Something had shielded his room from the worst of the damage. The infant looked up at his older self and sniffled, his fist going to his mouth as he wailed. The sound wasn't the thin, frightened wail of a baby human, but a full-throated announcment of anger and pain, befitting a young demi-saya-jin. Trunks leaned down and picked the baby up, cradling him against his shoulder. Satisfied that he was safe, Chibi-Trunks settled down, contentedly sucking on his fingers. 

"Hey, Trunks." Trunks turned at the sound of Krillin's voice to find that the Z team had followed him. Krillin stood at the point of the worst of the rubble. "I think you should see this." Clutching the infant tighter, as if to protect him from the horrible sight Trunks was sure he was going to find, he walked to the spot Krillin indicated. His boots crunched on glass and broken bits of wall, that crunching the only sound. 

But instead of the broken body of his mother, what he saw was a single white-gloved hand resting on the floor, frozen in a position as if reaching toward the baby's cradle. With a choke, Trunks dropped to his knees and started flinging the debris away as fast as he could with his free hand. 

"Trunks..." Krillin started to say quietly, but Trunks cut him off. 

"He's not dead!" he shouted. "Can't you feel him? You think he'd let that glorified trash-can kill him? You don't understand, fighting is what he DOES. He's fought Cell, and he'll fight death! Don't just stand there, HELP ME!" 

Goku was the first to step forward, but Krillin and Piccolo weren't far behind. With their help, Trunks managed to clear enough off of Vegeta that they could see the full extent of his injuries. 

"Oh man..." Krillin whispered. Cell hadn't left much of the Saya-jin prince. "I don't think there's anything we can do for him." 

"But if this is Vegeta, then where's Bulma?" Goku asked in confusion, voicing the question that Trunks had been avoiding. 

"Cell took her." It was a wild guess, but it was all Trunks had. It was better than believing that Cell had killed her. "Maybe he wants her technical knowledge." 

Krillin cleared his throat hesitantly. He didn't like seeing the young demi-saya-jin so intense. "So, what are we going to do?" 

Trunks grit his teeth, glaring furiously in the direction of Cell's little 'fight ring'. "Go after him." 

"But what about Vegeta? Yeah I don't like the guy but we can't just leave him here." 

"Give me a senzu bean." Krillin hesitated a moment, then handed one of the precious beans over to Trunks. Trunks placed it in his father's limp hand and closed his fingers around it. "Here, Father," he said quietly. "If you wake up, use this and come find us. If you don't-- then I'll pay Cell back for you." 

* * * * *

"Well well well. So glad to see you got my invitation," Cell smirked, staring at the Z team from the center of his tournament ring. 

"What have you done with Bulma?" Goku demanded. Trunks stood next to him, his hands clenched tightly. It would be suicide to run straight at the android, but he was so angry that's all he wanted to do. 

"Oh, she's here. I thought you could use a little 'incentive.'" Cell turned and pointed to the side of the ring opposite the Z fighters. Bulma stood there, a gag in her mouth and ropes tied tightly around her. Her blue eyes fairly exploded with anger; she glared at Cell furiously, obviously thinking venemous curses at him that would have made Vegeta proud. "I didn't want anyone deciding to back out," Cell continued. "Ruins the fun." 

"This isn't right, Cell," Goku said angrily. "It's bad enough you're threatening to destroy the earth, but now you've brought a non-combatant directly into the fight. Release her now!" 

Cell smiled. "You think so? But I'm altering the deal: if you win, the earth and this woman are saved. But if -I- win, then I'll assimilate her before I destroy what's left of your pitiful planet." 

"Cell..." Goku growled. "I'll stop you!" His face set in an angry, determined scowl, Goku stepped into the ring. 

"Kakkarot." 

"Huh?" Goku turned around, his SSJ green eyes blinking in confusion. The only person who called him that was-- standing right behind him. "Vegeta?" 

The Saya-jin prince's eyes were harder than the vacuum of space and every bit as black. He held himself with an usual restraint, his body tight with a fluid solidity that was disturbing in its intensity. He glanced up at Goku, a single flick of the eyes. "He's mine." 

"What? Cell? But--" 

"Vegeta, what do you think you're doing--" 

"Father?" 

The Z team burst out in confusion. Vegeta didn't spare any of them a glance. "MINE," he growled. 

Slowly, Goku stepped out of the ring. 

"What's this? Vegeta, you wish to play again?" Cell called mockingly. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time? You're no match for ME. You're not even powered up." The android smirked. 

Ignoring Cell's taunts, Vegeta stepped into the ring. His dark eyes burning, he walked -- WALKED, not ran or flew -- toward Cell in the center. 

"Determined, are we? Well, you MIGHT make for a decent warm up. Tell you what, I'll even be generous and give you the first hit." 

Vegeta didn't reply. He simple stepped up and cold-cocked Cell. 

Step. Step. WHAM. 

That was it. One punch. 

The Z fighters looked on in astonishment as Cell went flying. 

Cell blinked in surprise and it was a whole moment before he remembered to halt his flight and stand up again. "Well, well," he smirked. "It seems that I have made you mad." 

Vegeta smirked coldly back, his hair white and his eyes so deep a green as to be black again. Ki radiated off of him, but it was Ki tightly controlled, not let loose in a reckless display. Bulma stared at him from her place next to the ring, her eyes full of amazement, hope, and a little pride. That was HER Vegeta out there, and he was going save her-- 

"You broke my gravity machine," Vegeta said to Cell, crossing his arms and smirking some more. 

-- Or not. Bulma didn't know whether to laugh or scream. If she lived through this, she decided to scream. That arrogant, self-centered BASTARD-- she'd been kidnapped, their son almost killed, and he was upset about his GRAVITY MACHINE? 

"Oh dear," Cell sneered sarcastically. "I'm SO sorry. I'll be more careful next time." 

Vegeta grinned, his face full of power, mayhem and death. "What makes you think there's going to BE a next time, you over-grown refrigerator magnet?" 

Cell smirked, and blurred out of sight. He re-appeared behind Vegeta, ready to deliver a crushing right-legged round-house kick. 

But Vegeta was ready for him. Before anyone watching finished registering Cell's re-appearance, Vegeta caught him with a jumping left-sided spinning back kick. Cell flew to the side, crashing down and skidding across the ring. "Having fun?" Vegeta asked, stalking over and stomping one foot firmly down onto Cell's abdomen. Cell stared up at him as he grinned down, grinding his foot into the android. With a roar, Cell threw Vegeta off and stood up, his hands flexing angrily. 

"Why you-- you!" he screamed at Vegeta. The prince smirked. 

"What's the matter, don't you like the taste of your own medicine? Here, I'll try another flavor..." Vegeta pulled his hands back and held them, palms facing out toward Cell. Energy crackled around him as his hands started to glow. "Gallet Gun!" he cried, releasing the energy at Cell in a deadly bolt. 

But Cell dodged, and the bolt missed, crashing instead into the mountain perilously close to Bulma. She screamed through the gag and threw herself down in an attempt to avoid the resultant shrapnel. 

"Wonderfully brilliant," sneered Cell. "You tried to get me and almost got your woman. Such delicious irony. Too bad you missed." 

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Vegeta screamed in rage. The ki he had been controlling burst out in a destructive pyro-technic display. 

"Ready to play now?" Cell asked, powering up and taking his stance. Vegeta snarled and threw himself at the insufferable android, intending to rip, rend and tear until there wasn't enough of Cell left to smirk with. 

The Z fighters (and Bulma) watched the fight in fascination. Cell was still pounding on Vegeta, but the Saya-jin prince was refusing to go down and giving back as good as he got. Vegeta was serious about this fight in a way he hadn't been about the other fights. Those fights had been a game to him-- a challenge to be met and gloated over. Now, he meant to kill. No rants, no speeches, no absurdly flashy moves. Just a display of power and skill with only one outcome. 

Still, the android had an inexhaustible power source and Vegeta, whatever power level he had reached, did not. Vegeta pulled himself up from a right cross that had sent him to the ground and glared at Cell, who stood sneering above him. "Just one more thing," he panted. 

"Oh? Some last words?" Cell raised an eyebrow. "In a way..." In a flash, Vegeta rocketed to his feet and puched both fists straight through Cell's abdomen. Round-eyed, the android stared down at the short saya-jin, who stood glaring at him with hatred and a fierce satisfaction. "NEVER FUCK WITH MY FAMILY!" Vegeta screamed in his face. So saying, he pulled his hands back through Cell's body, grabbing the android's spine and yanking with all his strength. The metal cracked and wires ripped. With this grip, he spun Cell around and crashed him square into one of the pillars on the edge of the ring. The pillar cracked and fell apart as Cell tore right through it. Vegeta swung Cell around again and slammed his head against the floor of the ring. Cell choked and struggled, badly beaten but not defeated. "Oh no. No regeneration for you THIS time, you tin can son of a bitch!" Vegeta snarled. He swung Cell around again and heaved the android straight up into the air. 

Energy crackled again as Vegeta targeted Cell with his outstretched hands. His fingers turned inward, cupping the massive ball he was forming. The wind roared through the desolate area, swirling turbulently and throwing dust everywhere as Vegeta roared, pouring every reserve he had into the attack. 

Goku, Piccolo, Trunks and Gohan blinked and staggered a bit as they felt something absorb their ki. Some larger force was demanding it, bleeding it off for its own use, and looking at the attack forming between Vegeta's hands they didn't need to guess who it was. 

Whatever the final signal was, only Vegeta knew. But while Cell allowed himself to be thrown into the sky, buying time to regenerate his damage, Vegeta finished gathering the ki he needed. "ULTRA FLASH!" he shouted, his voice echoing. The stored energy grew to a blinding brightness and flung itself at Cell. First it cracked his armor, then it overloaded his systems. Then it vaporized him. 

"Holy..." Krillin whispered. 

In the ring, Vegeta fell to his knees, his arms hanging limply at his sides and his head slumped forward wearily. "That's what you get for messing with the Prince of the Saya-jins," he smirked. 

Trunks stared in surprise at his father. So did the rest of the Z fighters, for that matter. True, the Prince's hair had returned to normal, and he was obviously powered down-- but that display had been down right scary. It was Bulma who broke the silence following Cell's defeat. 

"WA-HOO!" she yelled, having managed to work the gag out of her mouth by pulling it against her shoulder. "That was great! You sure showed him, Vegeta! Now, will someone please get over here and UNTIE ME?!" 

Trunks hurried to his mother and snapped the ropes off. "Are you all right?" he asked, searching her for any sign of injury. 

"Really, Trunks!" Bulma rolled her eyes. "I was attacked by a homicidal android, kidnapped, tied up, and held as the bait in an all-out-fight-- of course I'm not okay!" Then she smiled. "But I could be worse." 

Trunks picked her up and took her to where everyone was gathering around Vegeta. Vegeta had managed to stagger to his feet and stood with only his pride holding him up. "You all right, woman?" he grunted when they arrived. 

"Oh, Vegeta!" she cried happily, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you came!" 

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Vegeta said, with more than a trace of his patented condescending amusement in his tone. Then he locked eyes with Trunks. "Where is Trunks?" he asked, blithely ignoring the incongruity of his statement. Trunks was his son, after all, from the future or not. He'd figure it out. 

"We left him with Chichi," Trunks said. Vegeta nodded, and wrapped one arm around Bulma's waist, preparing to take off. 

He -can't- have enough energy to fly, let alone carry another, Trunks thought with concern. But I can't say anything... He frowned, trying to think of a tactful way to broach the subject. Well, he decided, I can let him try. "I'm coming too," he announced. "Mom's going to need my help digging out her lab." 

Vegeta eyed him sideways, but decided to let the kid get away with it. Without another word, he took off, leaving Trunks to follow. 

Krillin shook his head as the Saya-jin Royal Family left. "All that, and he didn't say one word to us. Not even a thank you for the senzu bean!" 

"Come on, Krillin," Goku said cheerily. "This IS Vegeta. Did you really think he would?" 

"Well... no. I suppose not," Krillin said drily. "But what was that, during the fight? Since when is Vegeta that strong? And was I hearing things at the end? He couldn't have said what I think he said-- Goku, do you think he was fighting for someone this time?" 

"No. But I think," Goku said, folding his arms in satisfaction, "that he's learning." 

* * * * *

Notes: No, I'm not saying that Vegeta reached a new SSJ level. I think of it as more a "super Vegeta" level, like Goku found a "super Goku" level. (I think in GT, or one of the movies.) 

And I apologize for "Ultra flare". I think it's kinda cheesy to make up a new move, but this isn't really a new move, just a powered-up version of an old move. And not, incidentally, something that he's supposed to be able to weild whenever he wants to now. This is a one-time thing. Unless maybe you threaten his family again, but I for one am not suicidal enough to try. hee :) 


End file.
